From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
As Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, joins the celebration of this year’s World Diabetes Day, the Head of Endocrinology Unit in the Department of Internal Medicine of the hospital, Dr. Adewole Adesanya has called on government at all levels to ensure that their citizens have access to oral drugs and insulin for the treatment of diabetes.
Dr. Adesanya made the call while delivering lecture on prevention, care and management of diabetes as part of the activities marking the celebration, held at the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja on Tuesday.
He said that this year’s World Diabetes Day with the Theme: “Access To Diabetes Care If Not Now, When?” Kickstarted at the FMC, Lokoja in 2013.
According to the Medical Expert” World Diabetes Day is an annual ritual of advocacy on diabetes which is usually held on the 14th of every year worldwide. It is a gathering also targeted at celebrating ourselves as human beings for good health and provision of opportunity to educate ourselves about challenges of diabetes and how to manage it”
He noted that over five hundred million people worldover are presently living with diabetes stressing that insulin being the major medication for the disease at the early period was discovered about one hundred years ago.
“At the age of forty years every human being are prone to become victims of diabetes. It is therefore very important for people within the age of forty and above to embark on routine check of their blood sugar levels. I therefore, appeal to both government and individual citizens to access insulin and oral drugs without hinderance” Dr. Adesanya advocated.
Mrs. Rachel Idakwoji, a Dietician also delivered lecture on the right diet and physical exercise that will help people from falling prey of diabetes and other health hazards.
According to her “We are what we eat as mortals and should seriously care much for what we eat and drink to prolong our life span”
In his opening remarks at the event, the Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, Dr. Olatunde Alabi maintained that diabetes is not a death sentence affirming that anybody can be a victim if he or she is not careful with what they eat and drink.
He urged victims to avail themselves of the opportunity of the advocacy on how to prevent and manage the disease.
Highpoint of the event was the screening of over one hundred diabetes patients to ascertain their sugar levels.